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Howell
Dr. Howell
Vital statistics
Title Ship's Doctor
Gender Male
Status Deceased (Killed by Berringer)
Ships Walrus
Relationships James Flint (captain)

John Silver (quartermaster/patient)

Appearances First: I.

Last: XXXI.

Portrayed by Alistair Anthony Moulton Black

Dr. Howell was a pirate and doctor on the Walrus. His job mostly involved him working on the injured crew after they took another ship.

Biography[]

Season One[]

Dr. Howell performs surgery on the crew, doing what he can to assure they survive. After taking a trading vessel, he works on the two injured crew members, but is unable to save Mr. Duffy, who was shot in the leg during the fight. He explains to Captain Flint that he tried to amputate the leg, but he died of blood loss[1].

In Nassau after the capture of the Andromache, De Groot informs John Silver that Randall wants a word with him. Silver asks why, and De Groot explains that he had brought up the issue of a one legged man in the galley being a fire hazard. The crew then voted to expel Randall. De Groot, Dufresne, and Dr. Howell were forced to determine the fate of John Silver after witnessing Randall accuse Silver of being a thief. Randall says that he overheard Silver say that he stole the page with the schedule, not Singleton.

Outside the tent, Dufresne asks if Randall has told anyone else, and De Groot and Howell say that they can safely assume that only the three of them know. De Groot asks if any of this makes sense to Dufresne, and he remarks how it seems very convenient in hindsight that Flint found the page on Singleton. Howell then brings up how the issue of the gold has to be considered, and if they tell the crew they'll just hang Silver and Flint, ending the Urca hunt. De Groot angrily asks if he is suggesting that they lie to the crew just like Flint, and Dufresne calms him by saying he is merely suggesting that they not act rashly. De Groot then says that they would still have to deal with Randall, and Howell suggests killing Randall to ensure his silence.

Eventually, the three agree to give Silver a test. He is given five minutes to memorize a page from one of Howell's manuals. If he can reproduce it to their satisfaction, De Groot will not call council with the crew and have Randall share his story. De Groot is the most distrustful of Silver, and insists on the test, despite it being a flawed one. Silver fails, but is able to convince Randall to withdraw his accusation. When De Groot arrives to apprehend him, the two draw their knives on each other, but Randall pretends to have faked the whole episode, thus leaving De Groot without a witness for his accusations.

Nevertheless, he began to grow more distrustful of Flint, and became part of a conspiracy to arrest and kill him after finding the Urca. Gates informed them of Flint's crimes, including Billy lying about the page, framing Singleton and Silver's role in the matter. He and De Groot remained suspicious of Gates, worried that he won't be able to go through with the mutiny[2].

The next day, the Walrus and the Ranger set sail for Florida. On the way, they are forced to sail through a hurricane. During the storm, Silver passes the final coordinates for the Urca's location to Flint, who finds that it leads to Division Bay, and orders that Silver pass it on to De Groot. Silver finds him with Dufresne and Howell in sickbay belowdecks. De Groot is still suspicious about the validity of the coordinates, but Silver promises that they are and De Groot leaves rather angrily to pass on the new course to the helm. Silver then remarks to Howell and Dufresne that he has an odd way of handling the prospect of imminent wealth beyond measure.

As they sail towards the bay, Flint gives an encouraging speech to his men and orders that they ready a full complement of guns and for De Groot to signal the Ranger. However, they see that the Urca is nowhere to be found. The crew agrees to give Flint two days to send out scouts to find the treasure ship. However, De Groot wants to try Flint as soon as they make landfall, bitter over not having been listened to regarding Silver. Gates warns Dufresne against this, believing it will lead to civil war amongst the crew. Dufresne answers that De Groot predicted Gates would say that, and he and Howell believe that Gates is just trying to protect Flint. Gates promises that they will try Flint back in Nassau like civilized men, and gives Dufresne a letter detailing Flint's crimes to assure him.

Just then, sails are spotted to the south, and Logan reveals that it is a Spanish Man O' War. Flint quickly comes up with a plan to have the Walrus pose as a beleaguered Spanish merchant vessel and have the Ranger sail away flying the Black pretending to have attacked them in order to lure the Man O' War between them. The pirates will then rake her from both bow and stern before she can turn her broadsides on the pirates. Flint and Gates retreat to the great cabin to discuss further.

A while later, Flint exits and says that Gates died of a heart attack. Dufresne agrees to help Flint, and warns him not to say that they are a tobacco ship, for the Spanish heavily regulate the trade. Before the battle with the Spanish Man O' War, Dr. Howell stands with Dufresne and De Groot while Flint has Silver, who can speak Spanish, communicate with the warship. Flint has Silver tell them that they are a tobacco ship, expressly going against Dufresne's instructions. Dufresne had told him that the tobacco trade is heavily monitored. De Groot thinks it is hopeless going against Flint, for he will always be able to manipulate the men, but Dufresne is optimistic. Right before they open fire on the Spanish ship, Dufresne launches his mutiny, telling the crew of Flint's crimes and then shooting him in the shoulder when he tries to fire a cannon. However, Silver goes to an unattended cannon and fires at the Man O'War, forcing the pirates to do battle. The battle ends up with the Walrus being beached, heavily damaged, but he does survive the battle and make it to shore with the surviving crew[3].

Season Two[]

Howell survives the disastrous battle with the Spanish Man O' War. When Flint tells the remainder of the crew his plan to take the warship, he, like many others, reacts angrily to Flint giving orders after all his wrongdoings. However, he listens to Flint's proposal to take the Spanish warship for themselves, with Flint and Silver volunteering to swim out to the ship and eliminate the watch on the mainmast to signal the rest of them to attack. The crew agrees to Flint's plan, which ends up a success, and the crew is able to make off with the ship[4].

Joji Howell

Joji and Howell are overjoyed to see Billy alive.

Howell continues to act as ships doctor for Flint's crew once they capture the Spanish Man O'War. Their crew combines with Captain Benjamin Hornigold's in order to oust Charles Vane from Fort Nassau. Dr. Howell prepares with the rest of the men for the impending assault on the fort after they breach the walls. He, along with the rest of the crew, is surprised to see Billy Bones walk into their camp. Howell rushes over to greet Billy, overjoyed to see his brother, who he had thought dead[5].

Howell votes to elect Flint captain over the combined crew after Hornigold demands an election when Flint backs out of finishing the assault on the fort. The crew then sails to Charles Town to return Abigail Ashe to her father, Lord Governor Peter Ashe, in order to convince him to advocate for pardons on their behalf and reconciliation between England and Nassau. However, while Flint is ashore, Howell and 50 other crew mates are captured by Vane and his men, who followed them. However, Vane resolves to rescue Flint after he is arrested, to prevent the Governor from making a trophy out of him[6].

Vane takes half of his men with him to rescue Flint, leaving the half who think the rescue plan is folly under the command of Jenks. Eventually, they decide to flee, but they need men from the Walrus crew to sail the ship because they don't have enough to do so. Yardley and the Bayman Lieutenant try and extract Silver from the deck where the rest of the men are shackled, but Billy leads Howell and the rest of the men in starting a fight with Vane's men, but they ultimately stand down after being threatened at gunpoint.

Jenks interrogates Silver, asking for the names of men who would help them sail the ship, but Silver refuses, knowing it would mean death for the other men.John Silver's left leg is then beaten to bloody pulp by Jenks, in order to force him to give up the names. As the Sack of Charles Town gets underway, Billy and his men retake the ship from Vane's. Silver is taken to Dr. Howell. Despite Silver's protests, Howell assesses that the leg must be amputated or he will die. Howell warns Silver and the rest of the men in the room that when the shock sets in, Silver may lose his faculties. Silver continues to protest, but Howell insists that if they do not go through with the operation, he will be dead in three days. Muldoon and Dooley hold him down, with the former promising Silver that the crew will take care of him, as Howell begins to saw. Silver is later seen to have survived the operation, and is elected quartermaster of the crew due to his actions that saved their lives[7].

Season Three[]

Howell continues to act as ships doctor for Flint's crew when they return to the Walrus. He treats Silver when his leg wound becomes irritated, advising him to use the crutches more often, as the prosthetic boot was not made for a wound that fresh. He tells Silver that if he continues to put so much pressure on that leg, the decay will progress and more of the limb will have to be removed. Silver refuses to use the crutches, instead insisting he will lean more on the ropes. Howell finds this idea preposterous considering Silver will be on a moving deck most of the time.

Howell examining Silver

After Flint leads a boarding party to investigate the abandoned Straight ArrowBenjamin Hornigold chases after them, now a privateer in the service of the Royal Navy. Hornigold offers the entire crew pardons, and the crew can neither outrun nor fight him due to his superior position. Howell then listens as Flint gives the crew a rousing speech, telling them not to surrender to something that fears them, for their offer of pardons is one of cowardice. Due to their predicament, Flint informs the men that they will be sailing into the nearby storm in order to get Hornigold to break off his pursuit[8].

The Walrus then sails into the storm, hoping to shake Hornigold off. Howell remains belowdecks, tending to his crew-mates who were injured after being thrown around the decks of the ship by the storm[9].

The crew survives the storm, only to be becalmed in the Sargasso Sea with little food or water. The crew spends many weeks starving until they find a dead whale floating nearby. Flint and Silver row out to the carcass and find it rotting, but they harpoon several sharks to provide fresh food to the crew[10]. Shortly thereafter, the wind picks up and they are able to sail to what they think is an uncharted island.  They make camp, but are soon confronted by a large group of heavily armed Maroons. Howell is captured with the rest of the crew by the Maroons and led to their secret city. They trek through the jungle, and Howell marches at the head of the column behind Kofi. When they reach the camp, Kofi blows a horn and small boats row out to ferry the Maroons and their prisoners across the river.

Once inside the camp, the crew is made to stand in lines before the Maroon Queen. She questions Silver as to how the pirates arrived at the Maroon Island, and Silver says it was entirely by chance and explains the story of Hornigold and the storm. She does not trust him and orders one pirate to be tortured and interrogated and the rest to be placed in cages. Howell is held in the same cage as Flint, Silver, Billy and Ben Gunn[11]. He is present when Flint tells them his plan to either convince the Maroon Queen to have the pirates be her allies, or hold her hostage with a small knife until the crew is freed. After Flint leaves, Howell notices that Flint left the knife behind, and brings it to the attention of the rest of cage, exchanging worried looks with them. He is later freed after Flint succeeds in winning the partnership of the Maroons[12]

The Walrus eventually sails back to Nassau, where Silver is to lead the vanguard in proclaiming Flint's return, while Madi retrieves a stockpile of weapons from her father's agents. In the process, Silver kills Dufresne by stomping on his head with his prosthetic leg. Afterwards, Dr. Howell tends to him, examining the stump and the prosthetic. Flint then enters the room and asks for privacy, and Howell leaves the room[13]

Season Four[]

Dr. Howell is on the Walrus during the disastrous failed invasion of Nassau. He abandons ship with the rest when it runs aground on the sunken wrecks blockading the harbour. He makes it to shore with De Groot, Colin and six others, but they are captured by Governor's Redcoats, led by Lieutenant Kendrick, and brought to the town square. There, Kendrick informs Woodes Rogers and Captain Berringer of the capture, pushing De Groot forward and saying they believe him to be Flint's ship's master. Rogers tells De Groot that as part of Flint's inner circle, if he tells them about Flint's plans, he could be spared. When he refuses, Dr. Howell watches as Berringer cuts off De Groot's ear, as revenge for the children of the Maroon Island cutting off the ears of the dead Redcoats as trophies, and then hand it to Lieutenant Burrell. Howell and the others are then sent to the prison cells in the fort to await trial[14]

Howell is found guilty by Judge Adams' court and sentenced to hang. He and two other pirates are hanged on the gallows erected on the steps of the Governor's Mansion, shortly before John Silver arrives and leads a revolt that reclaims Nassau town for the pirates[15]

Memorable Quotes[]

"Mr. Duffy is dead. I removed the leg, but he lost too much blood."[1] 

Appearances[]

Season One
I. II. III. IV.
V. VI. VII. VIII.
Season Two
IX. X. XI. XII. XIII.
XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII.
Season Three
XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII.
XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII.
Season Four
XXIX. XXX. XXXI. XXXII. XXXIII.
XXXIV. XXXV. XXXVI. XXXVII. XXXVIII.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Howell might be a reference to John Howell, a doctor forced onto the crew of Benjamin Hornigold

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Dialogue between Howell and James Flint in I.
  2. VII.
  3. VIII.
  4. IX.
  5. XIV.
  6. Summary of events from XV, XVI. and XVII.
  7. XVIII.
  8. XIX.
  9. XX.
  10. XXI.
  11. XXII.
  12. XXIII.
  13. XXV.
  14. XXIX.
  15. XXXI.
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